eastern kingbird

Tag

By JL Neighborhood, black & white photography
Some days there is nothing like black and white photography to show details.
 
Unknown 4 year-old-bald eagle.  Oh, so, self-assured.
 
 
A pair of ospreys.  The female is the upper bird.  Note her bigger bulk.
 As in all raptors, the girls are bigger.
 
 
A glare that would be worthy of a bald eagle.
The eastern kingbird certainly seemed to be issuing an edict about whose territory I was on.
 
 
Male osprey taking home a fish for his chicks who are close to fledging. 
 
 

By Hershey and the Eastern Kingbird are at it again……
Today the eastern kingbird had the audacity to up the ante.
He spied Hershey again crossing the cove.
The bald eagle understood what the smaller bird was up to.
So Hershey rolled up on his side to deny the kingbird a landing place.
Yes, landing space on the eagle’s back.
When that didn’t work Hershey rolled back flat and reached for a higher gear.
No dice.  The kingbird had the groove, the draft from the bigger bird.
In the little bird flew and got his piece of defiance with a sharp peck!

By size doesn’t matter!
When you have babies in the nest, 
your size and that of the potential predator doesn’t matter.
The parent eastern kingbird felt Hershey flew too close to the nest.
The small bird escorted the bald eagle all the way across the cove.
Hershey simply ignored the much smaller kingbird.
 
Size reference: the king bird is about the size of a robin.

By danger

This is the eastern kingbird.
I love his scientific name: Tyrannus tyrannus – yes, like the dinosaur.
This bird rules his territory and will aggressively escort any other bird, up to and including eagles, out of it.
What he cannot rule is the trash that man leaves behind.
Look below his tail and across my copyright notice: fishing line.
Look above his right wing: a fishing line leader.
Follow the leader to the snarl of line above and to the left of the bird.
Thankfully I didn’t see this bird get caught – he is a flycatcher and has quick reflexes and keen eyesight.
I wish I could have removed the line – but the whole mess is 20 feet up the tree and way out on a small limb.

WALK4717 Jun 10 2015 @ 07-28-23 Ebenezer Jun 10 2015 @ 07-28-23 kingbird fishing line